Click on one of the links to the left to practice signing a guest book, filling out an online form and downloading.

BROWSER

Short for Web Browser.  It is the application programme that allows you to “surf the web”. The most popular Web Browsers right now are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

Hypertext

Text on a web page that links the user to another web page. The hypertext, or links will usually be a different colour.

E-mail

Electronic Mail. Is a programme that allows you to send and receive mail (messages) over the Internet.

http

Hypertext Transfer protocol. A protocol that tells computers how to communicate with each other. You will notice that all web pages begin with http://

Download

The transfer of information from the Internet to your computer. Every time you tell your computer system to retrieve your email, you are downloading your mail to your computer. You may also download programs to your computer.

Host

The computer on which a web site is physically located.

ISP

Internet Service Provider. This is your connection to the Internet. You use an ISP to connect onto the Internet every time you log on.

Internet

Originally called ARPANET. This electronic network connects the hosts together so that you may go from one web page to another efficiently.

Link

A link will transport you from one Internet site to another with just a click of your mouse. Links can be text or graphics. Usually underlined and often a different colour from the rest of the text.

Modem

Short for Modulator-demodulator. Modems allow computers to transmit information to one another via an ordinary phone line.

Newsgroups

Also called usenets, they are groups that often have nothing to do with news. They are ongoing discussion groups among people on the Internet who share a mutual interest.

Online

Having access to the Internet. You are Online when you connect to a web page.

URL

An acronym for Uniform Resource Locator. It’s the address of each web site. It usually begins with http://.

Virus

Your computer can get a virus just like your body can be invaded with a virus making your computer “sick”. A virus can wipe out information on your computer and create major havoc. Viruses usually originate from malicious people. You can unintentionally download viruses from a web site or from a disk someone sends.

WWW

World-Wide Web. A full-colour multimedia database of information on the Web.

Web Browser

The tool (program) that allows you to ‘surf’ the web.  It is the application (software) that is installed on your pc.